Fluctuation and self-diffusion research about dry granular materials under shearing

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Flow and self-diffusion behaviors of granules in sheared granular systems are a typical study field but still not yet fully grasped because of the complexities and discreteness of granular matter systems. This paper presents a discrete element method-based simulation research of the fluctuation and self-diffusion characteristics of granules in a dense sheared granular system. Simulation results show that the average velocity of granules decreases with the altitude location, which is reverse to the variation of fluctuation velocity. It is noted that the model channel can be classified into “solid-like,” “oscillating” and “fluid-like” region according to the magnitude of shear rate and fluctuation velocity of granules. The self-diffusion of granules is greater in the “solid-like” region, but smaller in the “fluid-like” region. These findings emphasize the importance of research on macroscopic dynamics of granules, such as re-arrangement and self-diffusion of granular matter systems.